The Department of Computer Science presents a School of IT Academic Colloquium by Arturo Filastò and Maria Xynou, from the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI)  with a talk entitled, "Internet Censorship Measurements".

Network measurement presents numerous interesting technical challenges, particularly when aimed at identifying cases of internet censorship. The censorship techniques adopted by ISPs often create ambiguity on whether a site or service is blocked or not, while censorship can vary from network to network within a country. We may notice the blocking of popular sites and services that we commonly use, but the blocking of many other less popular sites can go unnoticed. How can we identify cases of internet censorship? Six years ago, the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) emerged under The Tor Project to address this question.
This seminar will present OONI's software (called OONI Probe) and explain how it's designed to measure internet censorship and other forms of network interference. It will also share findings of internet censorship from Africa and around the world, and will explain how you can participate in a global observatory that monitors information controls on the internet.

Arturo Filastò is the founder and lead engineer of the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) project, where he develops free software designed to measure various forms of network interference. He previously created GlobaLeaks (the first open source whistle-blowing platform), co-founded the Hermes Centre for Digital Human Rights and served as its Vice President for five years. He also worked on a number of other software projects, including Tor2Web and Atlas. Arturo studied Computer Science and Mathematics at Sapienza University of Rome. 

Maria Xynou works with the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) project, where she manages community engagement and produces research reports based on OONI data. Previously, she worked with the Tactical Technology Collective where she created digital security resources, facilitated digital security trainings, and investigated the data industry. She also worked as a researcher with other digital rights organizations, including India's Centre for Internet and Society. Maria holds a MSc in Security Studies from the University College London (UCL).